THE APPROACH
Introduction: Introduce urban poverty and inequality as key challenges in India’s rapidly urbanizing landscape. Present the Smart Cities Mission (SCM) as a strategic initiative launched in 2015 to promote inclusive, sustainable urban development through technology and planning.
The Body
1. Defining Urban Poverty and Distributive Justice: Explain the nature of urban poverty and define distributive justice in the urban context.
2. SCM’s Role in Addressing Urban Poverty: Highlight interventions: slum upgrades, affordable housing, mobility, and basic services and use data/examples
3. Ensuring Distributive Justice through Governance: Emphasize participatory planning, smart governance (ICCCs), and equitable service delivery and cite inclusive programs
4. Technology as a Tool for Inclusion: Explore digital access to services (e-governance, health ATMs, smart classrooms).
Conclusion: Conclude by asserting that SCM can promote equitable urban growth if inclusivity remains central. Emphasize the need to align technological progress with social justice to create truly “smart” cities.
Introduction:
The Smart Cities Mission (SCM) is a transformative urban renewal program that aims to modernize urban infrastructure, governance, and service delivery. At its core, the SCM follows a two-pronged strategy; Area Based Development (ABD) and Pan City Initiatives together, these components aim to tackle urban poverty and promote distributive justice, ensuring equitable access to opportunities, resources, and city services for all citizens, especially the urban poor.
Body:
Defining Urban Poverty and Distributive Justice in the Context of SCM
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- Urban poverty in India is a multifaceted issue that extends beyond just low income. It involves a lack of access to essential services like clean water and sanitation, inadequate housing often in informal settlements, and insecure livelihoods. This multidimensional deprivation makes the urban poor vulnerable to exploitation and displacement.
- Distributive justice is the principle of fairly allocating resources and opportunities within a society. In an urban context, this means ensuring that the benefits of city development—like public services, infrastructure, and economic opportunities are not concentrated in wealthy areas but are equitably shared among all residents, including the poor and marginalized.
Addressing Urban Poverty through Targeted Interventions:
| Focus Area | Key Actions under SCM | Evidence / Data |
|---|---|---|
| Retrofitting & Slum Upgradation | Upgrades to roads, lighting, drainage, sewage, water, and sanitation. Slum integration into formal infrastructure. | Implemented in cities like Udaipur (sewerage, waste), Coimbatore (public spaces). |
| In-situ Redevelopment & Housing | Slum redevelopment without displacement. Affordable, community-based housing in same locality. | 44,000 housing units and 6,312 community rooms built. |
| Greenfield Development | New areas with affordable housing, transit, and green spaces. Inclusive, region-sensitive planning. | Mandated in ABD; area size adjusted for NE and Himalayan states. |
| Smart Mobility | Public transport expansion, walkable streets, cycle lanes, and Intelligent Traffic Systems (ITS). | Implemented in Pune, Surat, Visakhapatnam. Over 1,740 kilometers of smart roads. 713 kilometers of cycle tracks have been developed. |
| Waste & Water Management | Supervision and data based for water monitoring, RFID waste vehicles, improved sewage and solid waste systems. | 17,026 km (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) SCADA systems, 1,370 MLD wastewater treated, 9,194 RFID vehicles. |
Promoting Distributive Justice Through Inclusive Urban Governance:
| Focus Area | SCM Interventions | Examples & Evidence | Benefits for Marginalized |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smart Governance | Integrated Command and Control Centres (ICCCs) in all 100 cities. Use of AI, IoT, data analytics for services. Real-time monitoring of water, transport, emergencies, and grievances. | 100 ICCCs operational. 28 cities with real-time water monitoring. 84,000+ CCTVs, 3,000 PA systems, 1,884 emergency call boxes. | Faster service delivery, better targeting of welfare, easier grievance redressal, increased civic accountability. |
| Participatory Planning | Citizen consultations mandated. Use of online tools and in-person engagement. Inclusion of women, youth, slum dwellers, disabled. | “Nurturing Neighbourhoods”, “Placemaking Marathons”, “Cycles4Change”. 47 cities with child- and women-friendly urban designs. | Empowers vulnerable voices. Aligns development with local needs. Promotes bottom-up planning. |
| Equitable Service Delivery | Pan-city water, waste, mobility, safety services. Focus on underserved areas. | Udaipur: Bio-methanation, sewer upgrades in low-income zones. Coimbatore: Lake rejuvenation. Vizag: “All Abilities Park”. | Improved access to water, sanitation, transport. Reduces service gaps across city wards. |
| Technology as an Equalizer | Mobile apps, e-portals for services and grievances. Open data use. Digital inclusion via training and outreach. | 41 Digital Libraries, 9,433 Smart Classrooms. 152 Health ATMs, 172 e-clinics in informal areas. Multi-language smart apps. | Transparent, accessible services. Less reliance on intermediaries. Greater visibility of citizen needs. |
Conclusion:
The Smart Cities Mission (SCM) aims to reduce urban poverty and promote distributive justice through inclusive planning, smart governance, and improved infrastructure. By combining Area-Based Development with Pan-City Initiatives, it seeks to make cities drivers of equitable growth. However, challenges like exclusion, displacement, and limited public participation call for greater inclusivity. For SCM to succeed, it must balance technological progress with social equity—ensuring cities are not just smart, but also fair, accessible, and compassionate.
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